The Murder of Mary Ann Murphy
For this case, I watched an episode of Mean Girl Murders. It’s season 2 episode 1, titled ‘In Deadly Harmony.’
A strict, but loving mother is found dead in her bedroom.
Background
Mary Ann Murphy lived in Humble, Texas, just outside of Houston, with her husband, Don, son, Scott, and daughter, Keri.
Mary Ann was described as hardworking and strict but loved her family. She and Don had been having some issues in their marriage, which seemed to affect their daughter, Keri.
Mary Ann Murphy
A New Relationship
In December 2010, Keri, a freshman at the time, met a senior named Rebecca Keller. They met at choir rehearsal while they were rehearsing for their school’s Christmas concert.
Rebecca ran cross country, sang in the choir, and had the nickname ‘Bunny.’ She was also a bit of a loner.
Keri and Rebecca were instantly drawn to each other. They started as friends but a few weeks after meeting, Rebecca told Keri that she wanted a relationship with her. Keri’s friends were supportive of their relationship.
Keri was scared to come out to her family, especially Mary Ann, who was a strict Christian. Keri came out to her one night during dinner. Mary Ann was shocked at first but wanted Keri to be happy. However, Keri left out of the part about Rebecca being 19 years old and about to graduate.
In the spring of 2011, Mary Ann learned how old Rebecca was. She told Keri to end the relationship. Keri didn’t and began to sneak out of the house. Mary Ann took Keri’s phone away as punishment. Rebecca gave Keri a phone nicknamed ‘The Bunny Phone’ so they could talk.
An Obsession
According to Keri’s group of friends, the relationship became unhealthy. Keri and Rebecca were very jealous and possessive.
After a year of dating, Keri told her friends that Rebecca had proposed to her. Keri was only 15 at the time.
In January 2012, Don came home and found Keri and Rebecca in the shower together. Mary Ann threatened to call the police if she caught them together again.
On March 16, 2012, Mary Ann woke up in the middle of the night to check if Keri was still in the house. She found Rebecca and Keri in bed together. Mary Ann contacted the police. Rebecca was arrested for trespassing. There was also a restraining order to stop the communication between Keri and Rebecca.
By June 2012, Mary Ann believed that Keri and Rebecca were over. She had no idea what her daughter had been planning to do to her.
The Murder
On July 15, 2012, Keri called the police at 1:06 am. She and Mary Ann were alone in the house as Don and Scott were both working overnight.
Keri said she woke up to the sound of someone breaking in through the backdoor. Keri said she heard her mom say, ‘Stop’ 3 times.
The police arrived and found Mary Ann in the back bedroom. Mary Ann was lying on her back and had been stabbed 73 times. Her throat had also been cut.
Keri was notified about Mary Ann’s death. She contacted Don and Scott and they all went to the police station to give their statements.
Keri told the police that she was scrapbooking around 11:15 pm. She noticed suspicious headlights shining into her house. Keri said she went to bed an hour later around 12:15 am. Mary Ann had already gone to sleep.
Keri said she saw 2 men running out through the back door. She ran to her neighbor’s house to call 911 because Mary Ann had taken her phone away.
The police found a broken window by the back door of the Murphy home. But it was too small for anyone to fit through to get inside. The inside of the home didn’t look ransacked.
A .22 caliber pistol was found under Mary Ann’s pillow which she slept with for protection.
The Suspect List
Don was the first suspect. Don didn’t appear to be emotional but he admitted that their marriage was rocky. Don had an airtight alibi as he had been at work, and so had Scott. They were both eliminated as suspects.
The police searched Mary Ann’s phone. The last person that she had spoken to was her co-worker. He was upset by Mary Ann’s death and told the police that he and Mary Ann had been having an affair. He said they only met at his house and had never been at Mary Ann’s. He shared his phone records with them. He had an airtight alibi and was ruled out.
The police turned their attention back to Keri. She failed a polygraph test.
Keri eventually told the police that she knew who killed Mary Ann. She told them that it was her friend, Zein Ahmed. Zein was arrested and charged with murder. Zein was an older high school boy who had a crush on Keri. According to Keri’s friends, Zein would have done anything that Keri asked of him. However, her friends didn’t think that Zein had ever met Mary Ann.
Keri told the police that a few days earlier, on July 13, her mom had caught her sneaking back into the house. Mary Ann accused her of sneaking out to see Rebecca. Keri denied it and told Mary Ann that she heard something suspicious outside and went to check it out. Mary Ann didn’t believe her, and had taken her phone away.
The Bunny Phone
On July 15, the night of the murder, Keri used the bunny phone. She asked Zein to come to the house and knock on the doors and windows to scare Mary Ann.
Keri said she didn’t know that Zein would bring a knife with him. Zein came into the house and went to Mary Ann’s bedroom. Keri said she saw Zein stabbing her mom. After the stabbing, Zein threw a brick through the window to make it look like a robbery.
Zein denied being involved but eventually confessed. He said he didn’t mean to kill Mary Ann but wanted to scare her like Keri asked him to do. He said he held the knife to her neck, and said, ‘Boo.’ During his interview, he said he had stabbed Mary Ann 4 times. Zein said the knife could be found in his bedroom. The knife was sent to the crime lab.
Zein’s parents told the police that he had been at home all night playing video games and said they had photographic evidence. The knife found in Zein’s bedroom came back as clean. Zein’s statements didn’t match the crime scene. He had said that he went upstairs to Mary Ann’s bedroom but the house was a 1 story house. He also said he stabbed her 4 times but she was stabbed 73 times.
The charges against Zein were dismissed. He eventually said he confessed because he was afraid.
Zein Ahmed
The Murder Plot
Keri was again brought to the police station. After running a background check on Keri, the police learned about the restraining order and her relationship with Rebecca.
Rebecca was brought to the police station for questioning. Rebecca admitted to having a relationship with Keri. Rebecca said they hadn’t spoken or seen each other in months.
Keri’s brother, Scott told the police that Rebecca and Keri had been communicating through the bunny phone. The phone records were subpoenaed. There were multiple phone calls and texts, especially on the night of the murder.
Rebecca was confronted about the phone records. She said that Keri had been talking about killing Mary Ann for months.
Rebecca said it started when Mary Ann took Keri’s phone and wanted her to unlock it. Keri had taken naked photos and sent them to Rebecca. Keri refused to give her mom the password. Mary Ann said she would be taking the phone to work and asking someone to get into it.
On the night of the murder, Keri and Rebecca were texting and waiting for Mary Ann to go to bed. Rebecca came to the house after Mary Ann fell asleep. Keri walked into her mom’s room and stabbed her to death. Rebecca watched and they staged the scene once it was done.
Keri tossed her bloody clothes and the knife in a garbage bag. Rebecca took the bag and put it in a garbage can at a nearby school.
Keri and Rebecca were both arrested.
The Confession
A few months after the arrests, Keri’s grandmother bailed her out. Rebecca stayed in jail.
Keri and Rebecca were still in communication while Keri was out on bail.
The police listened to their recorded phone conversations. In one phone call, Rebecca told Keri that she was glad she didn’t see what happened in Mary Ann’s bedroom. Keri said she did because she was waiting in the hall and looked.
Keri and Rebecca pled guilty. Rebecca was also charged with sexual assault of a child.
Keri was sentenced to 30 years and Rebecca to 60 years.
Rebecca Keller and Keri Murphy
FINAL THOUGHTS
The saddest part is that Mary Ann believed that Keri had stopped seeing Rebecca for a while. Keri didn’t do a good job of hiding that she was sneaking out of the house. Mary Ann caught onto it again and did what she thought would stop the communication between Keri and Rebecca. Mary Ann didn’t deserve what happened to her. It was brutal and she didn’t have time to defend herself. I hope Keri and Rebecca both regret what they did and realize they ruined their lives over a toxic high school relationship.
Sources
https://www.click2houston.com/news/2012/10/30/3rd-person-charged-in-moms-death/
